GdS: ‘Out for goals’ – Allegri puts Leao at centre of new-look attack with Milan future at stake
Massimiliano Allegri needs to get AC Milan’s attack going, and his move is a rather simple one on paper: add an extra forward.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Milan will go again with Rafael Leao leading the line in their pursuit of a spot in next season’s Champions League. On Monday in Naples, the Rossoneri saw their Scudetto dreams vanish and are now looking over their shoulder.
The Portuguese’s future remains unclear, as he’s coming off perhaps his most complicated season in terms of injuries and role. However, what happens between now and the end of the season is what matters, and his team need the three points to prevent the chasing pack from closing in any further.
That’s why the management, Allegri and the fans expect the No.10 to return to top form after missing the match against Torino due to a recurrence of his pubalgia and his late appearance off the bench at the Maradona.
There’s no more time to waste. Leao will once again be the central point of the attack, the striker in a side that will finally use the 4-3-3 formation from minute one. When not in possession though, they could defend with the usual 3-5-2 (or a 5-3-2, as Unai Emery put it) with Athekame tucking inside.
Five worse than Malen
Milan have failed to score in three of their last six matches. In their first 24 games, the team failed to score only in the away match against Juventus. The most worrying aspect is the decline in their attacking players, who have struggled terribly in the new calendar year.
Leao, Pulisic, Nkunku, Füllkrug and Gimenez have each scored eight goals in 2,557 minutes. In 2026, for example, Malen alone scored 10 in 971 minutes. Lautaro (in 721 minutes), Krstovic (in 763 minutes), and Douvikas (in 960 minutes) each got seven, one step below the five Milan players.
These worrying numbers – despite Juventus and Roma being tied for fifth place – force the Diavolo to look over their shoulders a bit. As Allegri said in his press conference, it is imperative that the attack is unlocked.
“Pulisic and Leao have had a lot of injuries, but they’ve always scored goals. Gimenez recently returned, and after a long layoff, you can experience a physical decline,” he said.
“We also have Nkunku and Füllkrug, who have quality. I’m confident that from here on out, the goals will come, regardless of whether we play with eight, six, three, one, or no strikers.”
Lightning rod Leao
Beyond his confidence in the returning Gimenez, in Fullkrug and in Nkunku, Max expects more from Leao above all. With nine goals, Rafa is the club’s top scorer in Serie A, and he’s on four in 2026, but he hasn’t found a goal in his last three appearances.
From December onwards, he’s been hampered by groin pain. His adaptation to his new centre-forward role, which he’s been playing since the summer tour, hasn’t gone as well as Allegri had hoped. As a No.9, the Portuguese has fewer defensive duties but he’s not comfortable with his back to goal.
Non-possession play is crucial for the former Juventus coach, and that’s why both Thursday and yesterday, when he tested Pulisic, Nkunku and Leao, Rafa was always at the centre of the attack. Allegri decided that Nkunku will be absent from the starting XI to avoid unbalancing the team.
Up front, with the American (on the left) and the Portuguese, a chance will be given to Alexis Saelemaekers, who will provide more balance on the right flank. They will try provide for Leao, who hasn’t celebrated at San Siro since February 18th against Como.
He desperately needs to prove he can still be decisive for the Diavolo. The team’s future – in terms of departures and arrivals – will be decided based on Champions League qualification, but the Portuguese wants and needs to send out some signals.
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